AVATON

The project entitled "The Aegean Volcanic Arc: new Technological Orientations and Cultural Landscapes (AVATON)" co-funded by the Operational Programme "Competitiveness" of the 3rd Community Support Framework, was launched in July 2003 and finished in January 2005. The project entailed a series of activities and tasks aiming at the development and validation of an ambient information environment "AVATON", which allowed for interactive navigation within the combined physical-geographical and informational space of the Aegean volcanic arc, and act as the individual visitor's guide and apprentice. The system was validated in real-world usage scenarios, in two installations, one in the island of Santorini and another in the premises of the Petrified Forest of the island of Lesbos.

The Aegean Archipelagos and especially the Aegean volcanic arc was an ideal area for the operation of a system like AVATON, since it combines the historical evidence of the civilizations that flourished there, and the unique geological landscapes shaped by the geotectonic evolution of the Aegean volcanic arc. These two elements form a series of cultural landscapes and geo-sites that mirror the evolution and intermingle of cultural and natural elements. The project, apart from the technological aspect, provided the methodology for similar interdisciplinary application that combines cultural and natural information with new technologies.